Card index, letter, and document file



Patented Apr. 7, 1925.

UNITED STATES ERWIN OTTO KABERFELD, OF BERLIN, GERMANY.

CARD INDEX, LETTER, AND DOCUMENT FILE.

Application. filed June 23, 1924. Serial m.,721,91o.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERWIN O'i'ro HABER- FELD, a subject of Switzerland, residing at 31 Kleiststrasse, Berlin W. 62, Germany,

have invented certain new and useful Improvements in and Relating to Card Index, Letter, and Document Files, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to card index and letter and document files, more particularly for filing documents of thin paper with interposed supporting sheets or cards.

It is an essential feature of such files that the contents of the file shall be capable of being set at various angles, according to whether the person using the'file stands or sits, when using it, whether in the latter case he has the file immediately in front of him or at some distance, whether he has normal sight or not and so on. When entries are being made, itis preferable for the contents of the file to be falrly steeply inclined, while, when checking the separate accounts, it has been found to save much time, if the contents are much less steeply inclined, as in the latter case it is not necessary for all the accounts to be removed from the file so that they may be completely visible (down to the bottom line).

The invention has for its object to provide a file, in which the position of the contents may be adjusted in this manner as required, for enabling the sheets in the fileto be looked through rapidly and conveniently, on which the usefulness of a file chiefly depends, and the new file is exceedingly simple, cheap and handy.

The invention consists in this, that spacing members are provided at the bottom of the file, which allow of the supporting sheets -or cards swinging considerably out of the vertical and that this motion is capable of being limited as required by a supportin rod, which is adjustable near the edge 0 the file.

Two constructional examples of the invention are shown in the accompanying drawing.

Fig. 1 is a section on line 1-1 of Fig. 2,

Fig. 2 is a section on line 22 of Fig; 1, I Fig. 3 shows one of the supporting sheets or cards,

Fig. 4 is a section through a. spring supportingrod,

Fig. 5 is a section on line 55 of 6,

which shows a second constructional form of the invention,

Fig. '6 is a section on line 6-6 of Fig. 5, Fig.7 is a view of a supporting sheet or card belonging to this constructional form, Fig. 8 is a perspective view from the front of the constructional form according to Fig. 1 and I Fig. 9 is a section along the plane9-9 of I Fig. 8, with documents in the file and the supporting rod in position. 7

In the constructional example shown in Figs; .1 to 3 the bottom 1 of the file is provided with lateral grooves 2. At a suitable.

distance above the bottom, longitudinal bars 3 are provided, which form as it were a second raised bottom. The documents can be pushed-into the file until they rest on the said bars.

A supporting sheet or card 4 is shown in Fig. 3. At the bottom of the card are projections or tongues 5 of such 2. Ion h and arranged in such a manner that t ey can be inserted in the spaces between the bars 3 and engage in grooves 2; The height of the bars 3 is such that the card, when the projecting parts 5 rest at the bottom of the grooves 2, can be swung some distance out of the normal. Hence, when the card is in thevertical position, the bars 3 will not touch the upper edges 6 of the cut-away parts in the bottom of the card, but a fair amount of play is left, as is -shown in Fig. 3. Thus the cards 4 can be inclined forwards or backwards to a considerable extent, until the edges 6 rest on the bars 3, without the tongues 5 being thereby lifted out of the groove.

In order to prevent the tongues slipping out of the grooves, when the cards are lying at a considerable inclination, the grooves may be under-cut.

According to the invention the cards are held at the desired inclination by means of the supporting rod. This supporting rod consists for instanceof two parts 7 and 8, which are adapted to slide one in the other and at the outer endsof which are pins 9 and which are kept fully extended by an internal spring 10 (Fig. 4,). Holes 12 are provided opposite each other near the upper edge of the side walls 11 of the file. For introducing the rod, the parts 7 and 8 are in front .of oppositely located holes 12 and .first pressed together, the pins 9 are placed the rod is allowed to expand, whereupon the pins automatically slip into the holes 12. If suitable means are provided for preventing dust from penetrating, the holes 12 may of course pass right through the walls and an ordinary rod be pushed through from the outside. The holes might be coveredfrom the outside by rotatable flaps.

In place of the grooves shown in Figs. 1 and 2 any other spacing members may be used for preventin the cards 4 from moving in the longitu inal direction of the file and becoming mixed u Figs. 8 and 9 show the file with the ocuments and supporting cards in position, the documents 30 between-the supporting cards 4 being made of thin paper.

In place of a double bottom, the object of which is to provide a longitudinal guide for the supporting cards and for permitting the documents to be inserted without difiiculty, the arrangement may be such as that shown in Figs. 5-7. 'In this arrangement longitudinal grooves 15 arepro-vided in the side walls 11 of the file, into which lateral tongues 5 of the supporting cards 4 engage. The object of the upper longitudinal grooves 16 is to prevent the cards from being displaced in the event of the file falling upside down. In Fig. 6 vertical slots 17 are shown staggered with respect to the vertical slots 18 and the supporting card is introduced by the tongues 5 first being slid through the slots 17 as far as the longitudinal groove 16 whereupon the tongues are pushed forwards or backwards and are then slipped down through one of the slots 18 until they reach the longitudinal grooves 15. In this case as well the supporting cards are pushed down until they rest on the bottom 1 with the tongues 5 between pins or the like 19, which are fixed in the grooves 15 beyond the space in which the documents are stored. Hence the documents can never catch against the pins 19. In this construction as well holes 12 may be provided for supportingrods.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and in what manner thesame is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is 1. In a card index and letter and document file with interposed supporting cards, the combination of a receptacle having transverse grooves in the bottom thereof for preventing movement of the cards with respect to the bottom, and a transverse sup- 1.5ss,oo2

portin rod engageable with the upper portion 0 the receptacle for supporting the cards at the desired inclination.

2. In -a card'index and letter and docucards, a. plurality of fixed spacing members near the bottom. of'the file for preventing sliding of the cards with respect to the bottom of the receptacle, and a rod arranged ment file, a receptacle for receiving the transversely across the upper portion of the receptacle at the desired adjusted position for supporting the cards at the desired inclination.

3. In a 'card index-and letter and document file, a receptacle for receiving the cards, a plurality of transversely arranged spacin elements extending substantially throng out the length and near the bottom of the receptacle for preventing sliding of the cards with respect to the bottom of the receptacle, a rod for'supporting the cards at the desired inclination, and the sides of the and near the upper edges, and asupportin-g 00 rod removably engaged with opposed openings for supporting the rods at the desired inclination.

5. In a card index of the character described a receptacle, a plurality of suitably spaced transversely arranged members throughout the length of the bottom of the receptacle providing transverse ooves, a secondary bottom including longitudinally extending and spaced bars, a plurality of cards, tongues extending from the lower edges of the cards and arranged through the spaces between the bars and engaged with the grooves, the bars supporting the weight of the cards while the grooves prevent the sliding of the cards with respect to the bottom, the side walls of the receptacle being provided near the upper edges with rows 0 aligning and opposed openin s, and a rod removably engaged with the esired pair of opposed openings for supporting the cards atv the desired inclination.

ERWIN OTTO HABERFELD. 

